Imagindary Friend
by little red crayon
Summary: Its perfectly normal for kids to have imaginary friends. Its not too terrible if the imaginary friend is a teenage mutant ninja turtle. But what if the imaginary friend isn't really imaginary?
1. Chapter 1

_Thanks to Mikell for reminding me that I had forgotten to post this.  
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_Disclaimer: I don't own any turtles or rats no matter how often I asked Santa.  
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They were hiding out at the farmhouse for the summer.

Leonardo and Master Splinter thought it was necessary.

Raph didn't like hiding out. He liked poundin' his fist into the face of whatever scumbag was messin' with his family. But Leo was leader and Master Splinter was Master Splinter. He'd be a good turtle and keep his shell hidden in the woods for a couple months.

They didn't want him out walking in the daytime. He'd be risking exposure. But he had no intention of being caught unless it meant poundin' in those scumbags that had them on the run. And he had no intention of staying in that farmhouse any longer. Mikey was driving him nuts.

_I love that chucklehead, but I swear if he doesn't shut that mouth of his…._ His thoughts trailed off into a low grumble as his fists clenched.

"Hey mister, are you a _real_ turtle?" the tiny voice shocked him right out of his thoughts.

He was armed and positioned before he even saw who had spoken. Inside he was kicking himself for getting caught; outside he was scowling like he so often did.

In front of him on the path was a small girl who suddenly looked very frightened. Her blue eyes had grown wide at the sight of Raphael's attack stance and tears were starting to form. Her brown hair and pink shirt were blowing in the slight breeze.

"Uh… yeah. I'm a real turtle." Raphael quickly put his weapons away and bent down, "Uhh, I ain't gonna hurt ya. Ya scared me, that's all." _Thank shell Mikey ain't here to hear me say I was _scared_ by this tiny kid in_ pink_._

"You're a li'l young to be out here by yourself. Where's your mom an' dad at?"

She pointed a shaky hand at the house down the street.

"Say kid, what's yer name?" he asked. _What am I sposda do with this thing? I don't want it to cry. I almost wish Mikey _was_ here after all. He'd prolly wanna keep her but at least he'd know what to do. Now that's a scary thought, Mikey knowin' what's best..._

"Ella." She whispered.

"'K, Ella, my name's Raphael."

"Raphiellel, Raphelel, Raphie-el." She frowned as she tried to get the word out.

"Uh- how's about ya just call me Raphie?"

"Raphie." She smiled a huge Mikey-style smile at him showing a missing front tooth.

_Hey, this things almost kinda cute._

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Raph was walking her home when he felt something brush against his hand. He glanced down and saw the little girl nervously reaching up to hold his hand. With a slight groan he let her and she grinned another Mikey-style grin up at him. _Dang it kid, stop being so_, he shuddered, _cute._

"So uh, how old are ya?" he asked.

"Seven."

_I would've guessed younger with the way ya talk._ "So what's a kid like you doin' out here all by yourself?"

"I'm sposda be with my brother. But he's mean an' he keeps ditchin' me!" Ella scowled a dimpled scowl. "Thinks he's all cool cause he's older and stuff. He's just… mean."

"Really?" Raph rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. He calls me names and hits me in the head and tells me I'm adopted and stuff." Her eyes got all watery. "an' he goes off all by hisself and won' let me come with him."

"Geez kid. Don't get all worked up. Isn't that just what brothers are sposda do?"

She shrugged.

"I got three brothers. That's a lot of what we do to each other."

"Three!" her eyes went wide.

"Yep. My big brother Leo is kinda in charge. He gets on my nerves sometimes but usually he's just tryin' to keep me from doin' somethin' stupid. Then there's Donny. He's this gizmo genius. I don't understand half the things that come outta his mouth. And Mikey's the baby. I wish he didn't say half the things that come outta _his_ mouth. We fight a lot but we're still brothers. We watch out for each other too."

"I only have one brother, Ray, and he's mean. This one time, he filled my bed with fake spiders. While I was still in it sleepin! And he keeps breakin' my crayons."

Raph shuddered. _That creep._

When they got to the house Raph was on guard. _I gotta be invisible on a moment's notice here. _

Through the windowpane in the back door the kitchen looked empty so he shrugged and slipped in with the little girl as silently as he could manage. The kitchen was a green color that reminded him of Leonardo and made him feel a little guilty about the many rules and precautions that he was disregarding that afternoon.

He peeked into the living room to ensure the coast was clear before entering. The living room had a very peaceful theme to it in shades of purple that made him think of Donatello.

It took a lot of effort to detect when her family was nearing the room and be hidden before they could spot him. Ella may not have been upset by a giant talking turtle ninja but her parents might be.

Somehow it took more effort to get away from the kid to go home than to avoid her family. He finally managed to escape when she fell asleep. After he pried his arm out from under her curled up body.

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He knew he shouldn't go back but he somehow he couldn't resist.

He cautiously listened and peeked through the leaves of the tall trees to ensure that she was there. Alone.

In the middle of the small garden was the tiny girl in a yellow dress. Her dark hair pulled back behind a bright red ribbon. He climbed down.

"Raphie!" she squeaked.

"Yeah kid, I'm back." _Stupid, stupid, stupid._

She pointed at the brilliant red ribbon in her hair and beamed up at him, like a nervous little human girl version of Mikey, "Do ya like it?"

"Yeah kid, it's real… pretty." _Thank shell Mikey ain't here to hear me sayin' that! I'd never hear the end of it._

Ella took his hand and pulled him over to the side of the yard. He was relieved by its near proximity to the woods, if he needed to hide quickly- well it was safer that way.

"Momma says you're not real."

"Is that right?"

"Yep. She says it's perfectly natural that I made up an imagindary friend." She had a mock matter-of-fact tone of professionalism to her voice that Raph suspected was her mimicking her mother's voice. "She says turtle-people cain't be real."

"Uh- yeah. Yeah, I'm your new imagindary friend." _Imagindary? Shell, you're even talking like tha thing now._

Ella pulled a basket out from behind a tree and Raph began to wonder if she'd been expecting him. From inside the basket she dug out a blanket and spread it on the ground. She then pulled out some chipped dishes. Tiny plates, tea cups, and a small tea kettle all made of porcelain and decorated with flowers.

"Here" she said, stuffing a cup into his hand. The dishes were small enough in her hands but in his three fingers they looked almost microscopic.

She then dug out a bottle of water and filled the small tea kettle and placed it in the center of the blanket. She sat down at one end and looked expectantly at him. It took him a second to realize she wanted him to sit down on the other side. When he sat down she began to pour him tea and introduced him to a couple of imaginary people sitting next to them.

_I get caught one time and I have ta sit through a pretend tea party. Next time I'm payin' _way_ more attention to Master Splinter's lessons on invisibility. _

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Splinter had commented on an improvement in his hiding skills and had asked if he had been practicing during his excursions.

"Uh… yeah. Practicin' an' stuff out there. Beats sittin' in here all day listenin' to Leo's preachin.'" He said. He hated lying to his sensei. But it wasn't_ really_ a lie. He _was_ practicing. Every time a grown-up came to check on the girl he hid. He had to be constantly alert to any noise in or out of the house. Thankfully the people kept their windows open a lot and he could hear them coming to peak out at Ella. And it was better than hanging around the farmhouse listening to his brothers all day


	2. Chapter 2

For weeks Raph had been sneaking out for the odd tea party or Barbie fashion show. He almost hated himself for it. But he couldn't shake the feeling that the kid needed him around. When necessary the thought of poundin' his fist into his punching bag was the best way to get through the afternoons he spent playing tea party or dress up.

One afternoon Ella had learned to do Paper Mache. They'd both gotten covered in the glue within minutes.

Ella made things worse by insisting there be glitter on her work. "It's a magical unicorn; it _has_ to sparkle, duh." she said matter-of-factly.

At some point when he'd turned around she sneezed all over his shell. He'd been quite disgusted but had somehow managed to be nice about it. "Um… bless ya." He could always take it out on Mikey later; he'd probably do something to deserve it.

After that the kid kept giggling when he turned around but he couldn't figure out why. _Prolly got snot all over my shell or something'._

That night he overheard his brothers talking in the kitchen as he snuck back in. He'd been working on his stealth a lot lately and they were distracted so he was just able to do so without them noticing.

"Leo?" Donatello's voice interrupted Leonardo's meditation.

Leo sighed, "Yes Donny?"

"Do you think everything's ok with Raph?"

"What do you mean?"

"He's been gone a lot lately. During the day too. And he comes back all… different. And sometimes he smells like, like cupcakes."

Leo gave up on meditating. "Yeah, I've noticed." He sighed. It was hard enough to meditate in a kitchen without your brother coming in to ask about your other brother.

"At first I thought he was getting into fights or something but I've seen no news reports on anything suspicious or green lately. The whole cupcake smell is really starting to unnerve me."

"Well whatever he's getting into, it's at least comforting that he still beats the shell out of his punching bag every time he comes home. That's normal for him."

_Didn't think the guys'd start worryin' 'bout me. I hope they don't start tryin' followin' me. I'd never hear the end of it if they found out. Especially if Mikey hears about it. That shellhead won't let that gem of a opportunity to mock me pass by. Not one like this._

Then he heard it

"Hey Raphie, what's that on your shell man?"

Raph scowled at the youngest turtle, "S'nothing Mikey."

"Is that-?"

"Leave it alone Mikey" Raph snapped. He didn't like where this might be heading.

"It is! It's _glitter_! What's with the glitter Raph?" Michelangelo was dancing around with glee at this new discovery. "HEY GUYS COME CHECK THIS OUT. RAPH HAS _GLITTER _ON HIS SHELL! HAHAHAHAHAHA…"

_Glitter? That's worse than the snot! _With a loud growl Raphael flung himself across the room and knocked Mikey to the floor.

"EEEP!" Squeaked Michelangelo as Raphael rolled over him and drew his sai to the young turtle's throat.

"Raph! What are you doing? Don't _hurt_ him!" Donatello's voice called from the doorway to the kitchen.

"Mikey, you should know better than to tease Raph about- is that really glitter?" Leonardo's voice went from being stern to showing his amused curiosity.

"Raphael!" their sensei's voice rang out calm and clear around the room.

Raph growled and stood up putting his sai back. He spun on his heel and left the room to go wash his shell.

"What the shell is up with him?" Leonardo asked.

"_Glitter_?" Donatello would have smiled had the moment not been so tense.

The turtles and their sensei looked at Michelangelo who held his throat and shrugged with wide nervous eyes.

A few weeks after the big glitter incident and his youngest brother had finally quit flinching when Raph entered a room. Raph was still paranoid that his brothers might start following him to see what he was up to. He was starting to look forward to getting out into the sun and playing with Ella, she didn't try to kill him, never threatened his family, and wasn't remotely disturbed by the fact that he was an overgrown turtle. She just… liked him.

But this time she seemed a little hesitant to play.

She didn't laugh as much at his hula-hooping fiascos, her hands shook slightly when she poured his "tea" and she didn't plead as vigorously to paint his nails. (He never let her, _Cain't hide that from the guys… or myself._)

"Whats da matter kid? You ain't your usual chipper self." _Chipper?_

"Momma says I cain't play with you anymore. On accounta you not bein' real an' all." The little girl shifted her feet, kicking dirt with her little sandals. "Says I'm too old to have imagindary friends anymore."

Raphael felt his hands forming fists. "Oh?"

The little girl nodded. "Yep. She's gonna get me a _real_ turtle so's I can transition and move on or somethin.'" Her eyes got all watery.

"Well, I could come by one more time right? I gotta check out this new turtle ya know, make sure he's alright. Could I come do that?" His fists grew tighter as he fought the urge to run. There was an odd feeling in his gut, it was new and he didn't like it. And there was nothing punchable nearby.

Her eyes grew wide, "Would you?" her bottom lip quivered.

"Yeah kid. 'Course I would." _Don't cry kid, I can't stand it if you cry_. "Tell ya what, we'll have a tea party, say our goodbyes an' all." _Stupid, stupid, stupid, you'll never make it through that._

She nodded and grinned a wet grin at him, her nose only just starting to run a little bit.

_I don't like it_, He thought later as he slammed his fists and feet angrily into the well-beaten punching bag. _There's no enemy to fight here. Just a mom, bein' a mom. _

He thought back to that time when they were small and Michelangelo had found a stuffed dog. Mikey had decided the dog was British, named it Nigel, and wouldn't quit using a British accent with the thing. _An' Master Splinter had to make him stop. That's what parents do, ain't it? Make the kids grow up when they hafta?_ He growled and hit the bag again. _I'm an "imagindary" friend. The kids gotta grow outta me. _His punch nearly busted the bag open. _But damn it I don't want her to._

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Don't worry, there is one more bit. I couldn't just leave Raph sad _and_ covered in glitter._

_And don't worry, if you're sad too, just picture Raph trying to hula hoop. I still can't figure out how it gets around his shell...  
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	3. Chapter 3

_Sorry for the confusion if you checked in and found the first chapter pretending to be the third, not exactly my fault. _

_I'm not sure why but this chapter refuses to post. Instead, the first chapter keeps reposting. _

_Perhaps Raphael is staging a protest? Though where he got his hacking skills... unless Donny is helping..._

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Ella proudly clambered up on a stool to point into her shiny new aquarium.

Raph walked across the very pink bedroom as quietly as he could manage and peered inside. Swimming in a small pool of water was a tiny green turtle. _Can't believe we were once that small. Thank god for mutating ooze huh. _

"Uh… he looks good. Looks… uh… friendly." Raph mumbled. _Kinda looks like Donny, maybe I should warn her about leaving him trees to climb out on._

"I named him Raphie-ell. Or Raphie-ella. I can't tells if it's a boy or a girl turtle." She tilted her head and scrunched up her face as she leaned closer to the tank.

"Um…" Raph awkwardly picked up the turtle and flipped it over. "It's a girl."

"Oh"

"Yeah. Look Ella. I'm gonna miss ya an' all but you got a new turtle now so…"

The tiny kid wrapped herself around his legs. With a large sigh he knelt down and wrapped her in his arms. Never had the urge to punch something been so strong.

She pulled away and picked up a box from next to Raphie-ella's aquarium. She stuffed it in his hands. He opened it to find a rather sparkly drawing of the two of them.

"Awww" he tucked it into his shell for safekeeping. _How'm I gonna hide this from the guys. Can't just toss it, the kid made it for me._

"C'mere," Ella grabbed his hand and pulled him into a pink blanket fort they'd built the week before. "Momma's makin' me take it down but I got her to let me keep it till tonight."

Inside the fort was a small lamp so they could see, some coloring books and broken crayons, and Ella's beloved chipped tea set. Raph reached into his shell and pulled out a small box for her. She opened it and beamed up at him. "Made it myself. Had some free time and-"

"I love it!" Ella pulled out a small wooden tea set Raph had carved for her.

"Not sure if it'll really work for holdin' liquids but-"

Ella was already pouring her water from the old tea set into the new one.

Their last tea party was one of the most fun parties they'd had. Ella kept giggling so loud Raph was afraid someone would come look in on her.

When the time came to leave Raph had a knot in his stomach that had nothing to do with the vast quantities of mint chocolate cupcakes and water he'd been forced to consume.

"You aint gonna forget me right?"

"Nah kid, I could never forget you." _Especially with Mikey still pokin' fun at me for that glitter thing._

"And I won't never ever _ever_ forget you Raphie."

"I know ya won't. Just remember kid, that's a regular turtle ya got in there. Ya can't feed it like you been feedin' me. Only do with it what your mom says is ok. Moms know best. Dads too. Sometimes even brothers do."

Ella nodded a sniffly nod and waved at him as he climbed out the window and disappeared into the night.

When he returned to the farmhouse he found his family packing what little they had brought with them.

"We're going back to the city!" Mikey shouted.

"Bout time, I'm in the mood for poundin' some scumbags."

Leo walked into the room, "Not so fast Raphael, we gotta-"

"Dude! Is that _more glitter_?" Michelangelo interrupted. "_Oh Mr. Glitter-Cupcakes_-"

Raph tackled him before he could say anymore in that obnoxious sing-song tone.

Donatello walked in holding a humming potted plant. He looked from the rolling turtle fight on the floor to Leonardo. "I'm not asking." He walked back out of the room.

* * *

**Michelangelo put down his pen and smiled. **

**Suddenly there was a flash of green and his notebook had been ripped out of his hands. "Ouch! Raph, you gave me a paper cut!"**

**Raphael flipped the pages and grumbled.**

"**Imagindary friend? Cupcakes? **_**Glitter**_**? Mikey you are so DEAD!" with that Raph flung the notebook to the floor and leapt at his youngest brother who darted just out of reach just in time. **

"**Hey, you bet me not to write any comics for a week. Then you went an' broke my Nintendo. That's bad mojo dude. I had nothin' to do but write." Mikey ducked a punch and darted across the lair. "And guess what bro, I didn't write a comic. I **_**WIN**_**!"**

"**C'mere and I'll show ya how to make turtle soup!"**

**As Raphael flew across the room at the youngest turtle, Donatello picked up the notebook and flipped through a couple pages. **

**Leonardo popped out of the dojo to see what the commotion was. "Ummm, Donny?" he gestured to the room. **

"**I don't know Leo, I'm torn."**

"**Between?"**

"**Wanting to laugh and wanting to live." He handed Leonardo the notebook. **

**Leo skimmed a few pages and fought back a chuckle by attempting to turn it into a cough. Not that it mattered, Raph was still busy chasing Mikey and their furniture was taking the worst of the attacks. "This is… Mikey's dead meat. And I almost want to help him."**

**Splinter appeared beside him and took the notebook, calmly beginning to read it.**

"**What will you do about it sensei?" Donatello asked.**

"**I think if Raphael manages to catch him their bruises will be punishment enough for the both of them." He kept reading as he returned to his room.**

**Leo couldn't be sure but he thought he almost saw a smile appear on his master's lips.**


End file.
